After 45.02 per cent of the primary votes had been counted Ms Suarez was ahead with 32.99 per cent of first preferences, ahead of senior detective Daren Edwards (24.08 per cent) and Bruce Dunne (21.48 per cent).

She said it was too early to call anything, and expected it would take the counting of preferences and postal votes to determine the winner.

She'd heard there had been "very little" preferencing, given the lack of access to how-to-vote materials, but couldn't be certain.

"I am surprised," she said.

"I'm in a better position than I expected."

Daren Edwards.Iain Curry

Mr Edwards wasn't too worried with the outcome, and said he'd "had a fair crack".

"I've still got a good job to go back to (as officer in charge of the Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch)," he said.

"I had a go, if I got up, I got up, I'm not too perplexed."

He said he'd be taking the next week off to get his car serviced, and himself, with a trip to the chiropractor booked in, after a tough campaign, as he awaited the final results.

MONDAY 5PM:

Division 7 incumbent Ted Hungerford was breathing a little easier, after early polling had him in a three-way battle with Cam Young and Steve Dickson, whose preferences would assist each other, depending on the flow given the coronavirus restrictions.

He'd pushed out to holding 39.85 per cent of the vote, after almost 35 per cent of votes counted, but it could be some time before a result was known, with preferences still possibly playing an important role in the final outcome.

MONDAY 2PM:

DIVISION 6 incumbent Christian Dickson is growing more and more optimistic as counting continues.

It was understood counting had progressed to about 32 per cent of the vote, and of the 6800-odd votes tallied, Cr Dickson had secured just under 60 per cent.

When asked by the Daily he said he wasn't prepared to declare victory until the Electoral Commission Queensland confirmed figures, but he said he was "really optimistic about it all".

He said he hoped to stay above 55 per cent of the primary vote in what had been a "very, very unique election".

Cr Dickson said the prospect of a "recalibration" of council, in the form of fresh faces, was exciting, given the challenging times in the past term, which he described as a "bit of a rough time with council".

"That's not a bad thing, it's not a bad time to reset," he said.

He spoke of the need for the new council to get back to basics, and said it must lead with compassion.

"That's (parking officers near Centrelink offices last Monday) the kind of stuff that needs to change," Cr Dickson said.

"People have asked (council) to get back to basics and to consider people in all its decisions."

He said the new council would be able to revisit and have fresh debate over issues like paid parking, verge parking, CCTV and resources needed to combat homelessness.

"I'm looking forward to having that debate," he said.

"i think it's great timing."

Elsewhere Division 1 councillor Rick Baberowski was preparing for another term in council, confident the voting trend would not shift, and he would not be caught by challengers.

MONDAY 11.30AM:

A MASSIVE upset is brewing in the blue-chip coastal seat of Division 4, with incumbent councillor John Connolly understood to be trailing Joe Natoli by a few hundred votes with one booth to count before postal, phone and absentee votes were tallied.

The Daily understands Cr Connolly won the Aerodrome Rd pre-poll booth by only a handful of votes.

Sunshine Coast councillor John Connolly.

He said he was shocked at the way the results were reportedly panning out, and underestimated the cut through of Mr Natoli's lifestyle ticket, which was strongly opposed to paid parking and the rate of development.

It's understood the Birtinya booth is still to be counted, which could contain up to 2000 votes, while postal and other absentee votes could top as many as 2500.

It meant Cr Connolly could still turn the result around, with postal votes traditionally favouring incumbents, if he can be within striking distance after the Birtinya booth count.

But Mr Natoli campaigned strongly in the south of the division.

The Electoral Commission Queensland's live tally room results were trailing those filtering out on the ground, and it was understood more than 9000 votes had been counted so far, with Mr Natoli picking up about 2900, and Cr Connolly about 2600.

It was expected preferences would play little role in the race now, with it shaping as a two-man shootout for the seat.

Cr Connolly said he believed it was a matter of time before party politics came into councils, and he was waiting anxiously for official results to come from the remaining count.

SUNDAY 6.50PM: COUNCILLOR Peter Cox said he looks forward to serving his community for the next four years as he reached an "unbeatable" position with more than 60 per cent of the Division 3 vote.

Cr Cox said the unofficial figures from scrutineers had him with well over 60 per cent of the vote, excluding postal and phone votes.

"It's obviously quite exciting to be given the opportunity of a third term to represent the community, so I am delighted with that and extremely privileged," Cr Cox said.

"I would certainly like to thank the Division 3 community for their vote of confidence, and I look forward to representing them for the next four years as best I can.

"They're a bit stressful these election periods, so it is good to finally get some news."

Though Cr Cox is the first to officially declare victory, based on the latest figures he said he said he looked forward to working with Division 1 councillor Rick Baberowski and Division 6 councillor Christian Dickson.

Cr Dickson said he would wait until the Electoral Commission Queensland had counted the pre-poll and postal votes before he would call the division.

Latest figures have him with more than 4000 votes (more than 60 per cent).

"I certainly look forward to working with them again and providing the stability that's certainly going to be required in the next six months with dealing with this pandemic… and the massive consequence it will have on our community," Cr Cox said.

"Especially the business community, a lot of people are hurting with job losses."

He said the incoming council would also need to consider rates subsidies in response to the pandemic.

SUNDAY 3.50PM:

THE DAILY understands Division 8 Councillor Jason O'Pray has rallied in the Maroochydore pre-poll count, and now leads by about 400 votes over challenger Kathryn Hyman, after losing the Coolum booth count.

It's also understood in Division 2 Terry Landsberg may have put some distance between himself and Brady Sullivan, in the order of a few hundred votes, as counting continues.

In the mayoral race, incumbent Mark Jamieson has 49.15 per cent of first preferences, ahead of former Deputy Chris Thompson (31.82 per cent) after 40.76 per cent of the vote was counted.

The race to replace Division 10 Councillor Greg Rogerson is also heating up, with David Law peeling away with 21.24 per cent of first preferences, ahead of Greens hopeful Sue Etheridge (16.19 per cent), Cortney Claridge (16.47 per cent) and Hilary Wallace (15.43 per cent), after 55.27 per cent of the votes were counted.

SUNDAY 12.55PM:

DIVISION 4 Councillor John Connolly is banking on a pre-poll bounce, as he trails former Maroochy Shire Mayor Joe Natoli, in the race for the blue-chip seat.

He questioned the effect of preferences, given the restrictions on voting material this year, and said it wasn't "panic stations" yet, as he waited for further results to come in.

Mr Natoli was encouraged by the initial count, which had him with just over 35 per cent of first preferences.

He said he'd given up on the ECQ and went to bed last night, but was woken to his children running in screaming with excitement when they saw the results.

Mr Natoli said his lifestyle campaign had struck a chord during doorknocking, and he'd had a real sense people wanted solutions to the issues the region had, being driven by the accelerated process of development, and lag in infrastructure.

With a number of Greens candidates well and truly in the race elsewhere, he said if he and a few other fresh faces were successful, it would be a very different council to the previous.

He said he thought it would be a council with "a lot more accountability", and they wouldn't be "rubber-stamp councillors" that voted in blocs.

SUNDAY 12.20PM:

DIVISION 5 frontrunner Winston Johnston said if elected he would fight for fair treatment of the hinterland, and take no issue working with either leading mayoral candidates - the incumbent Mark Jamieson or Chris Thompson, currently in second position.

Mr Johnston has secured 21.27 per cent of the 23.18 per cent of the vote counted as of 11am, a fraction ahead of Greens candidate Tracy Burton who holds 21.13 per cent.

Mr Johnston believed both he and Ms Burton had run good campaigns and expected while it could come down to preference voting, the majority likely only voted one as candidates could not distribute how to vote cards.

Mr Johnston said he expected a much clearer indication of which way the vote would go once the pre-poll count began this afternoon.

Mark Jamieson currently holds 50.25 per cent of the vote ahead of second-runner, mayoral candidate Chris Thompson on 30.56 per cent with 36.27 per cent of the vote counted.

"If the people decide to elect someone as mayor and the voters in your division decide to elect you as the councillor you are duty bound to work with that person, it's as simple as that," Mr Johnston said.

"I don't have problem working with either Mark Jamieson or Chris Thompson if elected, they are both capable men.

Tracy Burton.Contributed

"There's going to be some major decisions that have to be made and they need to be common sense practical decisions that look after our community both economically and health wise."

He said this needed to include looking after council employees who worked in services which would not be operational during the coronavirus crisis.

He identified the upcoming budget and the employment of the new CEO in an environment where applications would waver as immediate issues which needed addressing.

So far as representing the hinterland, Mr Johnston said he would put forward a very strong case for fair treatment.

"It's very hard to say at the present moment because you don't know what the financial situation of the council is until you get there," he said.

"If you put forward a strong case… and a well-reasoned argument, then your fellow councillors have a responsibility legally to act in the best interest of the entire local authority, not just their division."

He said it was time for people to put their egos aside.

Mr Johnston said he knew the fight for Division 5 would be hotly-contested with ten candidates distributing votes "all over the place".

"I am confident that I will do well in the pre-poll counting and the postal votes," he said.

"Whilst I am not saying I am going to win I think I probably do reasonably well because a lot of the people who pre-polled are older people, and business people, and many of the people who voted yesterday were young people and some of the disengaged."

Mr Johnston said he hoped for a speedy result, but realised it may be more than a week before all votes are counted.

Mr Johnston expressed disappointment with the Electoral Commission Queensland website, which crashed for hours last night before an update was published about midnight.

He said he had also been contacted by a number of voters who had tried but were unable to cast phone votes, and received their postal votes too late.

He said those who lived along the rail corridor, such as Mooloolah, Woombye and Palmwoods, also had less access to pre-polling stations as they were located in suburbs such as Nambour, Buderim, Maroochydore Caloundra or Birtinya.

SUNDAY 10AM:

DIVISION 10 candidate Sue Etheridge spent election night confined to her home, hitting the refresh button until a midnight surprise on the Electoral Commission Queensland website confirmed she had taken a narrow lead.

The Greens candidate said she was encouraged by the early show of support with 19.02 per cent of the 18.22 per cent of the vote counted, but said it was too early to call.

Sue EtheridgeContributed

The battle to replace retiring councillor Greg Rogerson is neck-and-neck this morning, with David Law securing 18.7 per cent, Cortney Claridge third at 18.09 per cent and Hilary Wallace on 17.7 per cent.

"It will definitely come down to all those postal votes, of which we had unprecedented numbers, and telephone votes 40,000 of them," Ms Etheridge said.

"And a lot of people have voted out of their division which still needs to be counted.

Ms Etheridge said she was also encouraged to see Mr Law in second as she felt he was most aligned to Green values and her initiatives.

She said despite the uncertain times ahead, she was eager to get on with the job if the preferences fell her way and was excited at the possibility of four women being elected into the new Sunshine Coast Council.

"That can only benefit council to get a female voice to decision making," she said.

Ms Etheridge expected it could take a week before they knew the final result, and said she would spend the coming days hitting the refresh button on the results page and getting her business in order to be ready should she take out division 10.

SUNDAY 8.45AM:

THE official count will get underway this morning, after major technical issues plagued last night's preliminary count.

Results came through late, which showed several Coast seats hanging in the balance, while the race for Noosa Council was wide open, as two mayoral candidates went head to head.

Stay tuned as we update with results, as they come, and fingers crossed for no repeat of last night's disaster with the Electoral Commission Queensland's live tally room.

LATEST:

NOOSA Mayor Tony Wellington retains a solid lead over challenger Clare Stewart in early counting on the northern Sunshine Coast.

Cr Wellington has 52.31 per cent of the 14.46 per cent of the vote counted to date, ahead of Ms Stewart on 47.69 per cent.

There were 5504 formal votes cast of which Cr Wellington secured 2879 to Ms Stewart's 2625.

A massive field of 20 chasing six available councillor positions in the one division shire has left none able to achieve eight per cent in their own right.

Councillor Jess Glasgow

Only results for 14.99% of the vote had been released by midnight.

Cr Jess Glasgow's ill-considered appearance on a reality television show may have cost him his seat but he still polled a surprising 1563 votes or 4.4 per cent of the total.

With former councillor Ingrid Jackson stepping down after one term and former councillor Frank Pardon in jail, if re-elected Cr Wellington will lead a much-changed team.

His last term deputy Frank Wilkie has 7.06 per cent of the vote, fellow councillor Brian Stockwell 7.14 per cent with Yanni Van Zul (6.45%), Amelia Lorentson (6.21%), Tom Wegener (6.4%), Karen Finzel (6.48%), Phil Moran (5.92%) and Karen Cook-Langdon (5.85%) the most likely to battle for a place on the council.

Andrew Squires(4.51%) and David Fletcher (4.98%) who were part of the controversy-plagued Future Noosa group appear to be struggling in the early count although their colleague Ms Finzell is very much in the mix.

Cr Joe Jurisevic with 5.47% may struggle to retain a place on the council.

FORMER Maroochy Shire Mayor Joe Natoli has shot to the lead in Division 4 tonight.

With 13.6 per cent of first preference votes counted in the blue-chip coastal seat, the former Mayor and businessman had picked up 35.67 per cent of votes.

He led incumbent Cr John Connolly (24.98 per cent), Buddina local Todd Forrest (19.72 per cent) and community lawyer Julian Porter (11.64 per cent), with Faith Hambrecht and Mark Wadeson in single digits.

Elsewhere, in Division 6, Cr Christian Dickson looked set to cruise home again, with 62.7 per cent of votes after 18.63 per cent of first preferences counted.

Youngster Siobhan Gosper was next best with 24.27 per cent, ahead of Wayne Holly on 13.03 per cent.

Cr Christian DicksonContributed

Returning Councillor Rick Baberowski was in the box seat to secure another term in Division 1 based on early counting in Sunshine Coast Council election.

Last night with 15.66 per cent of the votes counted, Cr Baberowski had received 1479 (48.78%) led Jenny Broderick with 785 (25.89%), Mark Davis 391 (12.43%) and Raelene Ellis 377 (12.43%).

In the hotly-contested Div 7, Cr Ted Hungerford appears in big trouble early with just 8.29 per cent of the vote counted.

He leads on 561 votes (31.93%) but is only just ahead of Cam Young on 509 (28.97%) and Steve Dickson 476 (27.09%).

Mr Young and Mr Dickson, the former state member for Buderim, preferenced each other in How to Vote cards distributed early in the campaign.

If the rest of the votes trend on the early count, the distribution of preferences may see the end to Cr Hungerford's long service to local government.

Division 7 Councillor Ted Hungerford.

Local restaurateur Chris White has not featured as prominently as was first thought with just 211 votes (12.01%).

Early counting also has Cr Jason O'Pray in trouble in Division 8 where he trails Kathryn Hyman in the only head to heat contest in the Sunshine Coast Council elections.

With 18.97 per cent of the vote counted Ms Hyman has 2138 (51.99%) to Cr O'Pray on 1974 (48.01%).

Of the 4520 votes counted to date 408 have been declared informal and 4112 as formal.

The Electoral Commission Queensland has apologised for delays in getting early results to the public.

Incumbent Division 8 Councillor Jason O'Pray and his challenger, Kathryn Hyman, have gone head-to-heat at a You Decide forum tonight.

Cr Jamieson has secured 48.73 per cent of the vote counted ahead of Chris Thompson with 30.68 per cent and Michael Burgess on 12.77 per cent. Don Innes trailed with 7.83 per cent.

Of the 53,838 votes counted to date, 5918 were declared informal leaving 47,920 that counted.

Of those 23,350 were cast for Cr Jamieson, 14,703 for Mr Thompson, 6117 for Mr Burgess and 3750 for Mr Innes.

Counting would continue throughout Sunday.

Postal votes which needed to be in the mail by Saturday to qualify, have until April 7 to reach the Electoral Commission Queensland.

It has been a frustrating day for candidates many of whom went to bed not having first heard the latest results.

11.10PM:

THE FIRST significant results of the preliminary count are starting to come in, after major technical issues with the Electoral Commission Queensland's online tally room tonight.

In the four divisions where incumbents are retiring, Divisions 2, 5, 9 and 10, the races are well and truly on.

After just more than 15 per cent of the count, Terry Landsberg (29.99 per cent) leads the Division 2 race, ahead of Brady Sullivan (28.42 per cent), with Peter Tramacchi (15.46 per cent), Tim Hamilton (14.18 per cent) and Shane Scriggins (11.95 per cent) trailing.

Greens candidate Tracy Burton (21.13 per cent) and LNP life member Winston Johnston (21.27 per cent) are going head to head to replace Division 5 councillor Jenny McKay.

The rest of the field were in single digits, after just over 23 per cent of votes counted.

Maria Suarez (28.9 per cent) leads the race in Division 9, after almost 18 per cent of votes counted, ahead of Bruce Dunne (24.06 per cent) and Daren Edwards (20.87 per cent).

The battle to replace Greg Rogerson in Division 10 is wide open, with Greens candidate Sue Etheridge (19.02 per cent) leading David Law (18.7 per cent), Cortney Claridge (18.09 per cent) and Hilary Wallace (17.7 per cent).

Matthew Filippi (12.24 per cent), Keith Campbell (8.11 per cent) and Paul Monaghan (6.15 per cent) rounded out that field.

10.15PM:

AN ELECTORAL Commission Queensland spokeswoman said counting in booths across the state was going ahead and the raw data was coming in.

"The last step of the system has failed and results aren't getting online," she said.

Work on a technical resolution was ongoing and would continue until the system was fixed.

"A Plan 'B' is being explored," the spokeswoman said.

The Sunshine Coast Daily understands Electoral Commission Queensland has had system management issues for some time.

Preliminary counts are underway. Results are coming into the ECQ as expected.We're having technical issues displaying results online. We are are working on the issue. Preliminary count continues tonight till around 10pm. The official count begins tomorrow.

WHAT'S going on? That's the question journalists and councillors are asking as they wait for the numbers to drop.

No one has much of a clue.

Voting closed at 6pm, and candidates and journalists were told total results would start dropping from 7pm but two hours and 44 minutes after voting stopped there's only 0.28 per cent of the mayoral count showing on the Electoral Commission Queensland website.

Frustrated candidates are as clueless as the media.

Questions put to the ECQ have still to be answered as the clock ticks closer to the 10pm close for the night.

He had "pretty much" made up his mind on which Division 4 candidate he would be backing but was not willing to reveal his choice.

"For mayor I'm a little bit undecided.

"I'd like to see to see a little more focus on the basics of council."

QUIET MORNING: Voters trickled in at Buderim booths today.Nadja Fleet

Alexandra Headland couple Jackson Bowley, 27 and Rene Hill, 22, were united in their disapointment the election went ahead despite the risk of coronavirus spreading.

They said they had done their best to self-isolate, only going out for food and work.

The were also united in their lack of candidate knowledge.

"I don't know who the mayor is," Ms Hill said.

"I don't know anything about any of them," Mr Bowley said.

1.40PM:

IF MUDJIMBA was the Sleepy Hollow of polling places this morning, near neighbour Pacific Paradise was Brisvegas lite.

The car park at the state school was as busy as its going to be for quite some time, although Electoral Commission Queensland's attempts to keep the economy running probably accounted for many of those.

"It's quiet," carpenter and joiner Keith Lindsay said of the scene inside the polling place.

"We need to get some common sense instead of being in panic mode. The world's gone mad.

Keith declined to share who he had voted for in Division 8 or for the mayoralty but did let us in on his biggest concern.

His mobile phone with all his family photos in it was on the blink with the battery no longer charging and he remained unsure if he could find someone to fix it.

At Coolum State School Chris Platzer of Mount Coolum was delighted with the way the ECQ had organised for an expected mass turnout that has not eventuated.

She said no-one was in the polling place when she went into vote other than election workers.

"It made it very easy, I brought my own pen," she said. "I really did want to vote today to stop Sekisui. The Electoral Commission has done a fantastic job."

A massive postal and pre-poll vote explains to an extent the low numbers today, but there's an element of "lock-it-down, how dare they" out there that clearly has not resonated with the home handy man that resides in all of us.

The economy may be shutting down but cars still lined up from Cricks to the entrance on Dalton Drive to get into Bunnings.

1.10PM:

There were no queues at Buderim Mountain State School this morning.

Voters, some wearing face masks and gloves and even bringing their own ball pens, seemed conscious to keep the distance from each other.

Others used the opportunity to walk their dogs and get out of the house.

"It's just nice to get out," Buderim resident Keith Bell said.

Friendly workers in purple information aprons offered hand sanitiser to visitors entering the voting hall and made sure people were being spaced out at the booths.

QUIET MORNING: Voters trickled in at Buderim booths today.Nadja Fleet

Most voters the Sunshine Coast Daily spoke to weren't deterred by the coronavirus crisis which has thrown the world into turmoil.

"We had some tribulations for the obvious reasons," Mr Bell said.

"But we've been reassured that it would be safe," his partner Cherry Bell said.

Fellow Buderim couple Peter and Jenny Wark cut short their interstate holiday after the virus hit.

The pair decided to vote today because they knew people would be offered hand sanitiser and would be spread out.

They said they noticed a difference to previous voting years.

"It's quieter and more spread out," Mr Wark said.

Health worker Belinda, who wished to be only known by her first name, said she felt comfortable to vote today but said it was a "crazy situation".

"It is strange to keep the distance," she said.

But she said: "The government has done everything they can."

SIGN: One voter made their feelings known about Division 7 incumbent Ted Hungerford.Nadja Fleet

Candidates were prohibited from handing out how-to-vote cards and attempting any last minute pitches to voters at entrances of polling booths today.

But one campaigner got around the ban by setting up a silver Toyota Landcruiser outside the Buderim school with a handwritten sign on its roof saying: "Leave Ted's (Hungerford) box blank".

Mr Wark had this prediction for the election result:

"The mayor is going to get back in," he said. "He's done a reasonable job and has a track record."

12.45PM:

THE legwork appears to have paid off for Brady Sullivan, at least with one Pelican Waters couple wanting him to represent Division 2 in the next Sunshine Coast Council.

Retirees Michael and Lynne Burke were at Caloundra City Private School on Saturday to cast their vote.

HINTERLAND voters are receiving a mandatory pump of hand sanitiser as those left to vote descend on polling booths.

Voters in Woombye had lined up from the hall to the driveway at Woombye State School early this morning, and Electoral Commission Queensland volunteer Deaane Dow said voters had been quiet and well-mannered.

The focus on hygiene has been a common theme across the region today, with face masks appearing at booths and many bringing their own pencils to mark the boxes.

The long-mourned closure of the bar at the Mudjimba RSL though had left polling days at the community hall just up the street as an irregular gathering place.

No so today. At 9am despite ECQ officers claiming there had been a steady stream of voters through already, there was no sign of more than a trickle at best.

Election day workers outnumbered voters by b a factor of about 10 to one, the process was sterile, devoid of the usual chitchat and done in a blink.

Perhaps understandable given around two thirds of those eligible to do so had caste their vote for Sunshine Coast elections before polling day.

Division 8 challenger Kathryn Hyman outnumbered and out positioned incumbent Jason O'Pray in the election sign stakes but, that aside, there was no mood to read or vibe to pick up on polling day in Sleepy Hollow.

8.50AM:

CALOUNDRA MP Mark McArdle is at CCSA Hall in Nutley St, Caloundra, this morning turning away would be election day voters.

He said the hall had been closed as a part of the Federal Government's efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

CCSA Hall in Caloundra is closed this morning.Stuart Cumming

"On Tuesday night the National Cabinet ordered that all community halls had to be closed and no exemptions were given for that," Mr McArdle said.

"Despite trying to ascertain whether this particular hall did qualify for an exemption under a different category, that could not be established therefore the hall can not be used as a polling booth this Saturday."

He said he had been at the hall since about 7am breaking the news to people as they turned up to vote.

It was unclear whether the Caloundra Community Centre in Queen St remained open, but it was understood voters could still cast their ballots at the Golden Beach State School in Gregory St, Golden Beach.